On March 22, Derek Brown and Phil Greene presented a seminar at the Occidental Grill and Seafood Restaurant titled “An Introduction to Cocktails – A Primer on Mixology Through Four Classic Cocktails.”Derek and Phil focused on the Old Fashioned (which is simply the legacy of the original cocktail), the Manhattan and the Martini (which ushered in the era of aromatic cocktails), and the Daiquiri, the “youngest” of the three, just a shade over 100 years old.

Derek and Phil examined the history of the cocktail, looking at its origins in the late 1700s, the development and role of bitters, the Sazerac cocktail of New Orleans, the introduction of “new” cocktails such as the Manhattan and Martini (and the possible historical origins of each), the Daiquiri and its roots (going back to the “grog” served on British naval ships from the 1740s on), and especially focused on the basic formula for the sour cocktail, which is a wonderful and simple construct.The sour is a trilogy of strong, sweet and sour, that allows you to make your own inventions, vary the flavor of your drinks (sweetness, tartness, strength), and to use it as a platform for further experimentation and new drink creation.Here are some recipes for your home use.

How to Mix an Old Fashioned

1 sugar cube

1 teaspoon water (or dash simple syrup)

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 oz Ri(1) Rye Whiskey

Muddle sugar cube, water and bitters together until the sugar is nearly dissolved.Fill glass with ice, then add the whiskey. Stir well. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel, or orange slice and cherry.Serve with a swizzle stick or straw.

Recipe courtesy of Pocket Recipe Guide, Museum of the American Cocktail

In a classic bit of stage business in the 1955 play Auntie Mame sophisticated pre-adolescent Patrick Dennis offers a martini, which he prepares by swirling a drop of vermouth in the glass, then tossing it out before filling the glass with gin.

How to make a Papa Doble, or Hemingway Daiquiri (from the book Papa Hemingway by A.E. Hotchner)

Requested by most tourists, a Papa Doble was compounded of two and a half jiggers of Bacardi White Label Rum, the juice of two limes and half a grapefruit, and six drops of maraschino, all placed in an electric mixer over shaved ice, whirled vigorously and served foaming in large goblets.